Railway lubricator



Juifs, 194.7. '.1. J. Hl-:NNx-:ssY 2,423,775

RAILWAY LUBRICATOR Filed July 23, 1945 NEN-ron:

JAMES J. HENNEssY /5 'evy A FIG' 2' ATToR E@ Patented July 8, 1947UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAILWAY LuBinoA'roRv Y James J. Hennessy,Montclair, N. J. Application July 2s, 1945, 'serial Natoaesi 6 cmms.(cl. 30s-sa The invention relates to the lubrication of railway axlejournal boxes and is more particularly adapted yfor locomotive drivingboxes in which journal and bearing pressures and wear are greater thanin other bearings.

Such bearings may be provided with' devices adapted to pump at least anadequate quantity of lubricant to the journal ifrom a cellar beneath'th'e journal. Ordinarily with such a device surplus lubricant willaccumulate on the journal and be discharged therefrom back to the cellaror may pass beyond the ends of the journal and out of the box.

An object of the present invention is to provide emergency lubricationin the event of failure of the pump normally supplying lubricant to thejournal.

Another object is to collect automatically surplus lubricant supplied tothe journal to avoid wasting of the same and for the purpose ofemergency lubrication as previouslymentioned.

Another object is to utilize for the above-mentioned purposes boxes suchas are in general use without substantially changing them and `lwithoutsubstantial additional equipment.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a selected embodiment ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section through arailway driving axle journal and its bearing and box and lubricantcellar and is taken on approximately the line I I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the structure shown inFigure 1 and is taken on approximately the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

The axle. I vhas a journal portion 2 and an outer end 3 adapted to bereceived in the hub 4 of a driving wheel. Journal 2 supports a crownbrass or bearing 5 and the latter is seated in a box including sidewalls 6 and a top wall 1 which is arched upwardly between the side wallsand forms a seat for bearing 5. Ribs or walls 8 extend upwardly abovewall 'I as do the upper portions of walls 6 and cooperate to form areservoir or compartment adapted to contain lubricant L. Preferably thiscompartment is provided with a sheet metal top wall 9 vented at I0 withits edges brazed or welded to the upper portions of walls 6 and 8.

A passageway II of relatively small diameter extends from the uppermostportion of the surface of journal 2 through bearing 5 and top wall 'Iinto the lubricant compartment.v A boss I2 is formed or attached, as bywelding W, to the upper portion of wall 1 and a relatively largediameter passageway I3 extends from the upper end of l Y t 2 f boss I2downwardly through the same, wall 1 and bearing 5 to a part of thejournal surface substantially below the level of the lower end ofpassageway II.

A cellar I4 belowthe journal is carried by bolts I5 in the usual mannerand may be packed with waste for containing` lubricant but preferablyforms a sump for lubricant and receives a pump P actuated by thelongitudinal play of the axle in the box to feed lubricant to thejournal by which it is carried to the bearing. This pump and itsoperation may be of the type rillustrated and' described, for example,in Patent 2,191,468 issued July 16, 1937, to the present inventor and initself does not comprise the present invention.

As the bearing 5 is worn due to the rotation of the journal and to thethrusts between the journal and box from the engine pistons and drivingrods, there is likely to develop a condition shown, with someexaggeration, at C indicating a clearance or space adapted to receivelubricant carried by the journal from the distributor in the cellar.Such lubricant is forced between the journal and the bearing and uponreaching passageway IIy rises in the latter intorthe compartmentat thetop of the box where it accumulates until it reaches th'e level of thetop of boss I2 from which it will drain back through passageway I3 tothe journal and to the cellar.

In the event the pumping action should cease because the locomotive isstationary, or is moving slowly over track, which does not result inplay of the journal in the box, or for any other reason, the surpluslubricant accumulated in the compartment at the top of the box will flowback through passageway Il to the journal sufliciently to avoid thebearing running dry with resulting serious injury. When the locomotivepicks up speed and normal pumping conditions prevail, the need forlubrication through passageway II will cease and the compartment at thetop of the box will be replenished with lubricant.

Even if there is no occasion for supplying lubricant to the journal fromthe reservoir and the top of the box, the reservoir and passageways IIand I3 will function to remove surplus lubricant and feed it back to thejournal and cellar instead of it being forced lengthwise of the journalat the uppermost part thereof and discharged over the end of the bearingwhere it is likely to be lost.

It is not essential that passageway I I lead from the very top of thejournal but it should be near the top to insure contact between thejournal and bearing and thus facilitate the feeding of lubricant throughthe passageway to the upper reservoir. I have found that a smal]diameter passageway leading from the journal to the upper reservoirfunctions better than a large diameter passageway and this may beconsidered due to capillary attraction contributing to the upward flowof the lubricant. These and other details may be varied withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use ofthose modifications coming within the scope of the claims iscontemplated. l Y

What is claimedis:

1. In a railway axle box having a top wall and a journal bearing seatedagainst the same, a lu`VJ` bricant reservoir above said bearing and`wallpa` passageway leading from the journal-engaging above the top wall,and a journal bearing is fitted tofthe underside of the top wall, acover plate 1Vspaced above said top wall and extending besurface of thebearing to saidresrvoirfiand.

adapted to feed surplus lubricant from*between the bearing and journalto said 'reservo'i'ig` and' a4 passageway leading from an upperportionloifthe reservoir and adapted to drain lubricant therefrom. Y

2.( In a railway axle box havin-gatop wall-and a journal. bearingseatedagainst thesame, `a lubricant reservoir above said bearing and walLapassageway 'of relatively small diameter leading from the:journal-engaging surface ofthe Abearing to said, reservoir and adaptedvtol feed surplus lubricant from between the. bearing andv journal tosaidV reservoir, and a passageway of" relatively'- large diameterleading,y from an upper :portion of the' reservoir andA Vadaptedptodrain lubricant therefrornto' a lower portion ofthe bearing.

3. In a railway axlezbox having a top wall and a journal bearing seatedagainst the same, a lubricantreservoirabove saidr bearing andl wall, apassageway leadingi'from 'the uppermost .part of the:jourrial-engaging.'Y surface of the bearing to saidlreservoir andadapted Vto feed surplus lubricant from .between'zthe bearingjandjournalto saidreservoirgi and a passageway leading, from an upper-portion of.the ,reservoirand adapted to drain lubricant therefrom to a lowerportionofthe bearing. Y j

4. In a` railwayy axle box having atop wal-l andA tween Iopposite sidesand end walls and cooperating with-saidy walls to formlubricant-containing compartment `an upstanding boss on said top wal1,`a passageway leading from the upper portion of the journal-engaging faceof the bearing and extending upwardly through the bearing and thetop-wall into' said compartmenmand a.y Dassagewayyextending from thetop.l of saidboss downwardly th-roughsaid top wall and bearing to apoint on the journal-engaging surfacez'oi thef latter below the entranceto said first-mentioned passageway. l

6. In combination a railway journal-box having a top-wall and alubricant-containing comparta-a` ment, the bottom of which isrformed bysaid .wall, arvcrown bearing seated'V againstwsaid top wall, an axlejournal supporting said bearing-and boX,'a device in said box forpumping lubricant from the bottom of the box to the journal; there beinga passageway leading from the upper: por tion ofthe journal-engagingface of thesbearing through the bearing and the top wall of the box tosaid compartment and adapted to convey sur-` plus lubricant betweenv theupper 'part ofv said journal and said bearing tof said compartment',

` and an elevated overflow drain insaid' compartment leading fromtheupper part thereof downv through said top wall and said bearing tothe surface of the; journal below the level VofA the en-` trance .tosaid first-mentionedpassageway.`

JAS. J. 4HENNESSY,

